Colin Kaepernick is coping with a loss for the first time in seven weeks, and he’s doing so by creating a post-loss ritual. The 49ers’ third-year quarterback is acknowledging negative posts about him on Twitter for the first time since those consecutive defeats in September.

Kaepernick passed for just 91 yards and got sacked six times – his career-worst marks as a starter – in the 49ers’ 10-9 loss Sunday to the Carolina Panthers.

Rather than post comments himself in the ensuing 24 hours, he scoured his Twitter mentions for hateful comments as an apparent motivational tactic.

“TOO MUCH HYPE before he proved anything,” @KEOSB3000 tweeted in response to another post defending Kaepernick as “only” a third-year quarterback in his first starting season.

Those four tweets were the first Kaepernick “favorited” since Sept. 24, when the 49ers were coming off back-to-back defeats to the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts. Kaepernick and the 49ers responded by going on a five-game win streak that lasted until Sunday’s home loss to the Panthers.

When it was discovered he highlighted anti-Kaepernick tweets two months ago, he told reporters: “It’s something that I do for me. It helps me.”

Kaepernick has already suffered as many losses this season (three) as he did last season, including the Super Bowl XLVII defeat in New Orleans, which is where the 49ers (6-3) are headed next to face the Saints (7-2) on Sunday.

He’s gained nearly 55,000 Twitter followers in less than two months since the 49ers’ last loss, with that @Kaepernick7 follow-odometer approaching 435,000. He has almost twice as many followers on Instagram, where his last picture showed his game-day “swag” of headphones, gloves, cleats and a camouflage towel.

Cam Inman

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Why he is paying attention to what those haters have to say about him and re-tweeting that ville. None of those experts have not played a down in professional football (NFL). People love that, they know they are getting to him because he is re-tweeting it. He can say what he wants ugly words that are so negative helps anyone. He cannot play football trying to prove tweeters wrong. He should not let people live rent free in his head.

Inno Tolentino

I don’t think he “retweeted” them, but rather “favorited” them. This is the equivalent of a young Larry Bird keeping newspaper articles and box scores of every Laker post-game to keep track of Magic’s progress. He used it as motivation… only now, everything is magnified a million times over. Stop trying to mold him into what you want him to be. He’s a kid, mid 20′s… let him take his lumps… allow him to learn. He’ll either get it or he won’t, and if it takes too long, we’ll let him go like we did Alex. Put things into perspective. Our offense is terrible and Kap has a lot to learn, but we’re still 6 – 3 with our destiny still in our own hands. Take it in stride and hope for the best, because that’s all we can do right now. Hopefully Kap understands what needs to be done and just goes out and does it. The bulk/core of this team has been together for roughly 4 – 5 years now and Kap has had to match their progress in only a season’s worth of starts. Talk about growing up fast!

JimHarbaughsguys

Why?

He already gave the answer earlier this season. He likes it.

Well, until he finds out that they are right. Then he won’t. That will happen when the Niners play teams which don’t suck, because he always will against them.

Vs. Seattle, vs. Indy, vs. Rams (last years team was good on D) vs AZ, vs Baltimore, Kap did zilch.

Brenda D Brown

I am not trying to mold anyone into anything. I do not want him to be anything but the 49ers quarterback. It was a rhetorical question and my public musing. No explanation required.

Brenda D Brown

Okay.

Randall Fubar Larson

Less commercials, kissing himself, disrespecting his team by wearing other team gear, less nudity in magazines and more time studying and practicing!!

GoldBlooded80

Kaep had an atrocious game..the worst of his short career to date. Keep in mind Luck threw 3 picks and got blown out by the Rams..I don’t think colts fans are dumb enough to second guess picking Luck and releasing Peyton. This is the ebbs and flows of the process. That being said its yet to be seen and how he adjusts and where he finishes..not just this season but his career. Hes shown he can do it but its unfortunate that we may just wash this season for that process- the division is all but lost and the playoffs is not at all guaranteed. Its on niners coaches to compensate for an offense without vernon and put kaep in situations where he can succeed and it’s on kaep to adjust and keep on. Niners have a lot of work to do and it certainly will be a challenge to get back to show. Trust the process and let this season unfold as it will.. no need to question past decisions..they were right when they were made so trust it’ll be right in the end.

GoldBlooded80

The mercury appreciates your clicks..make sure you hit a sponsored ad on your way out – otherwise your presence not needed here seatroll.

GoldBlooded80

Cute how selective you were when choosing “good” teams. Managed to leave out the packers (twice) and 13-3 falcons in championship ..I do agree this Niners team isn’t great going out 0-3 against only winning teams they’ve played ..but come on man..selective memory much?

Matthew Fura

How is he trolling? He’s absolutely 100 % correct.

ssclesq

you are what your record says you are. no wins on a above .500 team. the 3rd downs are miserable like usual and the wrs are pitiful for the last 3 years. ( boldin excepted) If harbaugh wants to do some coaching and make some changes ( brother fired his oc and changed ol mid season to win the super bowl) or this seasson is lost. seattle wins tough games, we lose them. excuses and failed promises are for politicians not head coaches.

GoldBlooded80

Really? 100% correct? Your absolutely positive you have Kaepernick’s work ethic and study habits figured out? So pay no mind to the several sources with inside access saying that Kaepernick works his butt off on the practice field and always watching film and studying the playbook and game plan.. .. let’s trust the guy in the seahawks jersey and green wig saying that Kaepernick needs to drop advertisements so he can study more. Right on bud.

Get rid of roman hes holdin kap and his potential back we all clearly know he isn’t a drop back qb someone is telling him not to use his legs he needs to do what got him to the superbowl in the first place.

GoldBlooded80

So what’s your take on Luck having an terrible day ..throwing 3 picks against the St. Louis Rams at home? Any thoughts?

Ninerfan

For starts this is his first real season playing what did yall expect..I think he did blow up way to fast and it might have gotten to his head, but he still got alot raw talent (as we so in the end of 2012). Give the man a break.and yall see his true potential with In the next few years.

JimHarbaughsguys

Alex beat the Pack in GB last year. Much harder to do than beat them in SF.

2. The Packers aren’t that good. Check out their record. Not even in 1st place. they weren’t in first place to begin the year, and haven’t dominated in their division. How many weeks have they held sole possession of first place this year? How hard is it to beat up on a secondary starting 2 safeties with a combined starting games sum (which you all love to bring up when discussing Kap) of 1. That was the experience sum of their safeties this year. And last year, their secondary didn’t scare anybody either. Especially on the road..

If the Pack were all that last year, they beat the Vikings in week 17, they get the #2 seed (automatic if they win) and we play during the wild card weekend . And if we win, we go up to GB. But the Pack aren’t that great. Not this year, nor last year. If they were, they beat their division rivals in week 17, And Kap plays like he does in Seattle. GB fans would tear him apart.

3. Ohhh, those scary Falcons. They were the worse 1st seed of all time. Tell me you were scared to go to Atlanta and I’ll buy you a baby blanket. How are they playing this year? Same team as last years now. And they suck. How many winning teams did Atlanta beat last year anyway? About as many as we have this year. I knew we’d beat Atlanta. Wussy QB. Wussy Defense. Niners own wussy teams. How could you not know that?

I was more scared of playing Seattle in SF than I was playing Atlanta in Atlanta. By the way, it was the d which secured that win up there. Not Kap. Not in any game has he produced the winning late drive.

JimHarbaughsguys

You’re welcome.

JimHarbaughsguys

Find me 5 QB’s in the NFL which that same thing isn’t said about.

Freeman is the only one I can recall playing right now (not even playing actually) who the Insiders say wasn’t.

Does that mean everybody else does? Or that teams keep that information confidential till they are ready to dump a guy?

JimHarbaughsguys

The Rams after they were embarrassed at home by us have actually started playing 0.500 ball since then.

Coming into the season, people did say how good the Rams defense was. It just hasn’t lived up to it since. They were very good last year (we only scored 10 in their home last year) and were the most disappointed unit in the NFL this year. Maybe they finally woke up.

Look at Indy’s wins vs. Seattle:

Seattle played them on the back end of a 2 game road trip, having traveled to and from Houston and then to Indy.

Indy blocked a FG to put them ahead in that game. Not that it doesn’t happen, but the odds are low.

Indy didn’t look all that great in that game at home. Seattle just tired down.

Look at their win vs. SF in SF:

Indy beat us in SF. Good for them. But did you know that at the midway point of the season, every team which had lost to Seattle the previous game, lost their next game as well? Tells you something about how punishing it is to play Seattle.

Kap sucks. Of course I know that. But Kap was given the ball instead of Gore to win it. Had Gore been given the ball, we win that game. Gore was awesome in that game as he is more or less in every game. Our D dominated till they were tired. And they were only tired because Kap didn’t do anything on offense.

Conclusion: We handily beat Indy in SF if Gore gets the ball and we don’t put the game into Kap’s hands.

sc00by_d00

The 49ers tried to turn Kaep into “Game Manager Alex Smith only with a better arm”. Bad coaching decision. Unleash the Kaep!

Brenda D Brown

For what?
Done

Orb Ust

Because he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks… lol

Orb Ust

Maybe you missed the Seattle and Colts games?

Orb Ust

By “None”…. I am sure you are referring to your integrity.

Orb Ust

Yeah… Roman is the problem. LMFAO!!

Mark

All there is to say is Kaepernick and the Niners are dead last in passing.

Mark

Harbaugh: “Anger is a powerful motivator”. We will see how motivated they are against the Saints. It will take more than 91 yards passing to keep up with Brees. Harbaugh needs to stop talking and put a boot up the #$@! of that passing attack.

Pierre

Harbaugh & the 49ers made the wrong decision to go with Kaepernick over Smith. During the time Kaepernick was filling in for an injured Smith, there was little game film for other teams to go on to defend Kaepernick. Now that there is, we’re seeing what amounts to a rookie QB coming out of a 2nd tier college program.

In 2011 Smith led the 49ers to within a few plays of the Super Bowl. Both his stats and the rest of the 49ers team improved in 2012. Yet when Smith was healthy to return from his concussion, the 49ers made the wrong decision and stuck with an untested & unproven QB. What’s glaringly bad about that decision is that they had a tested and proven QB with playoff experience. And now that QB is gone, leading KC to a 9-0 record.

jag0581

someone needs to explain to me why the the offensive line gets a free pass for their performance on Sunday. 6 sacks on Kaepernick in that game, is that on Kaepernick as well? The offensive line didn’t give Kaepernick a chance to throw the ball deep and when Kaepernick did the ball was nicely thrown but dropped. Everyone wants to blame Kaepernick for everything but no one wants to put blame on anyone else. I guess Kaepernick is supposed to block for himself, catch the ball he threw himself, and I am sure he is supposed to throw for 400 yards a game. People really are morons.

Ninerfan

Yeah i agree Jim needs to focus on the offensive line a little bit more. .Even though Kap has made quiet.a few errors on his own, the OL definitely needs some work.

Mike Lyons

I would put that on Greg Roman.

JimHarbaughsguys

If Alex were the QB, Roman calls a different game. We give it to Gore. We win.

But with Kap, Roman and Jim think they have a “franchise QB:” and aren’t stuck with a “game manager” So, they completely changed the playcalling.

You can put it on Roman. But Roman never does that with Alex as the QB. Besides, if Roman does that with Kap, Kap needs to deliver the goods.

Dan

Get over Alex Smith people. Good Golly it’s getting old hearing you whine about Alex Smith. HE’S GONE. Hate to see you’re love affairs with the stalker mentality you have

cbj

Too many Krapcuses.

Nick Jackson

Maybe he should worry about trying to learn progressive reads when one receiver is covered and be able to scan the field to find another one. I surely don’t believe that all the receivers are covered and so he has to take a sack. So forget the twits and practice your hits, Hitting other receivers who are open but you don’t throw to them because you can’t look off the first receiver and lose the headphones.

None

This really isn’t worth discussing because right now Russell Wilson is killing both luck and Kaepernick. I rest my case.